Weather Forecast

“Can you believe all the rain we’re getting?” has become a common greeting amongst friends and neighbors on the streets of Holyoke over the past month, as cooler temperatures and cloudy skies continue to be forecast for the area. In fact, all the wet weather has area residents beginning to wonder if they’re living in Washington or Oregon, rather than Colorado. And with all those clouds comes the threat of tornadoes. On Wednesday, June 10, a report of a funnel cloud just west of Holyoke had citizens on alert, though the sirens did not sound the alarm. Upon investigation by Phillips County Sheriff’s deputies, everything was found to be clear. While Phillips County has been spared, other communities have not been so lucky. An unusual number of tornadoes have threatened the Denver area, one even causing damage to the Southlands Mall in Aurora. More tornadoes were spotted near Fort Collins on Monday, June 15. That same day, two large tornadoes touched down in Elbert County, causing a lot of damage, but thankfully, no injuries. The average high temperature in Holyoke in May, and so far in June, has been approximately 70 degrees. As for moisture, a total 2.78 inches was recorded for May. As of Tuesday morning, June 16, 5.83 inches has been recorded in June, with 3.5 inches of that falling Monday evening, June 1. The silver lining shining through the clouds, according to Grainland’s Roger Gordon, is the wheat crop is “looking excellent.” Despite the fact cooler temperatures and wet weather can lead to more diseases, so far there is no report of them in the area. The weather may also delay maturity, added Gordon, but once the sun comes out and it’s time to harvest, it should be a very, very good wheat season. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for dry beans. “Beans don’t like a lot of flooding,” said Gordon, adding the planting and growing of that particular crop has really fallen behind the regular schedule. Gordon also reported the loss of some fertilizer due to leeching, and the spraying of irrigated fields has been delayed as well. It’s a little too early to start worrying about corn, with plenty of summer left, but if present conditions continue, it could result in a slow growing season for that crop as well. Current forecast for the week shows a little more sun appearing during the upcoming days, however there is still a chance of rain for most afternoons and evenings.